statin, long term use

hi David when I was taking atora vistatin I couldn't hold a newspaper...my muscles were so weak and sore...at first I didn't think it was the statins till my gp told me to stop them for 2 weeks...during this time the aches went away...he told me to stop them altogether....which I did until another doctor started me on them again because my cholesterol had gone up....the same symptoms started again only worse and my blood sugar levels went up   so I stopped them   ..all by myself....I haven't taken statins for some years now and I don't intend to ever take them again

Have you been on the same statins all that time?   Interesting that you still had a heart attack after 20 years on them, rather contradicts the claims that they prevent heart attacks.

I assume you've tried other methods of lowering your cholesterol?

There's an easy way to tell if it's the statins causing the symptoms:  you could cut back to yr previous dosage and see if they recede or you could ask your doctor to try another type, there are lots, although I should add I had identical negative effects from all of them and also from a non-statin cholesterol lowering drug.

It is quite possible the statins have damaged your muscles permanently, that's a well documented negative effect.

I too have a family history of heart problems in both parents and a brother and of high cholesterol - I'm a 68 year old woman and also had a mild heart attack 3 1/2 years ago.

I'm slowly getting my cholesterol down with 3 tsp of psyllium husks a day (well, most days) in my breakfast porridge, also fo course exercise and lots of vegies.  Don't take any medication within at least an hour of the psyllium husks and don't take them dry or you can choke.

Worth a try maybe and good luck.   I've decided to never take statins again - I'm choosing quality of life rather than quantity in constant pain, deep depression and no libido

Hi David

I'm not a believer in high cholesterol being the cause of heart disease, I would ask the question how come you suffered a minor heart attack whilst on statins?.... 

Putting my personnal opinion re statins to one side, I think your side effect problems are due to the fact the huge increase in statin medication, it's not just the jump from 20mg to 40mg it's simply that Atorastatin is a lot stronger than Simvastatin, therefore you are not only doubling your stain dose but it's also double the strength without increasing dosage.

i do think you are right to be concerned with condition of your muscles and the effect Atorastatin is having on them, can I also at this point raise the issue that the heart is also a muscle so my recommendation would be to ask doctors if you could go back to 20mg Simvastatin, inform them of side effects on Atorastatin and hopefully they'll agree lowering dose is best option.

you may find a negative response as most doctors don't recognise statin side effects and blame symptoms on ' old age' or something else, please be persistent as stains can cause irreparable damage to muscle tissue along with nerves and it's no fun being left to live a life of suffering.

could I also suggest you take the supplement CO Q10 as stains stop the production of this important enzyme that is needed for healthy heart and brain.

hope that helps

sonya

Hello David. We are all different! My first heart attacks (MIs) were in the 1960s way before any viable treatments were available, certainly not Statins. Once your heart is damaged by these events a cascade of subsequent changes happen resulting from the heart trying to compensate for the damaged area. There were many precursors of cholesterol lowering drugs and I was tried on them all over the years with varying effect. Full control only came at the level of 80mg Atorvastatin + 10mg Ezitemibe which was needed for high triglycerides. I went though an period of intense muscular pain which took about 9 months to subside but now have none. All this was after the usual long term consequences of IHD: CABG 21 years after the 2nd. MI, followed by HF 20 years later. The following year I was lucky to survive a near fatal arrhythmia and had a CRT-D fitted. That was 5 years ago yesterday! Still chugging along happily and still taking the tablets!  Good luck to you!

Dear David

There is a great deal of evidence about the damage that statins cause to muscles and it is surprising that the medical professin do not take this into account when prescribing them.  The chemistry of how statins work is well known and besides blocking the formationof cholesterol they also block the formation of CoQ10 which is essential for muscle activity. I recently came across an article which said that in

Canadian (since 2003) health authorities require that statins sold in Canada carry a precautionary warning regarding CoQ10 depletion. They actually reproduce the label on a Lipitor pack showing the warning.  CoQ10 is available over the counter in pharmacies and also in supermarkets so it is worth trying after clearign it with your doctor.  Ubiquinol is a more concentrated form which is better for older peope to take as the ability to absorb CoQ10 diminishes with age.

I have read a pro -statin report that said if 1000 people were treated with statins for 5 years then 18 cardiac events would be prevented. Yes just 18. Report went on to say this compared " very well with other forms of intervention"

The number needed to treat is therefore around 55 to prevent one heart attack or stroke and of course they don't know which of the 55 it will be.